A Balanced Strategy for Entrepreneurship Education: Engaging Students by Using Multiple Course Modes in a Business Curriculum

Abstract

Entrepreneurship education has become a regular part of the higher education curriculum worldwide. However, the distinct impacts of different pedagogical methods remain unclear. I develop six hypotheses and test them on a sample of participants in a business plan course and a lean startup camp. While any entrepreneurship course participation contributes to the students’ entrepreneurial intentions, students gain very different learning outcomes depending on the courses’ types. The impact of the business plan course (a hybrid supply–demand model course) lies mainly in its ability to increase the interest in general entrepreneurial activity of students with initially low entrepreneurial intention. The lean startup camp (a competence model course) attracts participants who are already highly motivated and is effective in fostering the initiation of startup projects. As parts of a balanced strategy within an entrepreneurial university, both pedagogical methods can contribute substantially to different objectives of entrepreneurship education.